El Grito Fest returns to Grant Park for Mexican Independence Day

In Chicago, when you see cars sporting Mexican flags, you know Mexican Independence Day is right around the corner.

The Mexican flags show heritage and pride in preparation of Mexican Independence Day, which is Sept. 16.

For decades, Mexican Independence Day events have been organized by community groups and taken place in majority Latino neighborhoods. But this year, for the first time in over a decade, Chicagoans can celebrate with a sanctioned Mexican Independence Day festival downtown in Grant Park’s Butler Field.

El Grito Chicago will run Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 10 p.m., with organizers promising musical performances from local and touring groups such as Banda Los Sebastianes and Selena the Show, food and beverages and an artisan market. Tickets range from $10 to $175 per person.

El Grito organizer Korina Sanchez works with the nonprofit 916, one of several groups helping put on the festival. She said organizers are trying to cross-promote the different events taking place this weekend across the city, from the annual parade in the Little Village neighborhood to one of the oldest celebrations in South Chicago. There’s also a Pilsen Mexican Independence Day Parade and an El Grito event in Pilsen, among other smaller events.

“We've been working a lot with a lot of organizers of these other different celebrations to make sure that we're cross promoting everyone,” Sanchez said.

The downtown festival also comes as the city tries to control the flow of car caravans, alleging they cause traffic and safety issues. Last year, Chicago officials said the caravans led to crowd control problems, traffic chaos and 86 arrests.

Some alderpersons, including Ald. Silvana Tabares, 23rd Ward, have called on the city to help facilitate one downtown event to celebrate and deter unsanctioned demonstrations. El Grito is organized by the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (IHCC), Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago, Grito 916 and Choose Chicago, in conjunction with the city and state.

Ahead of the weekend celebrations, Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communication rolled out bilingual messages on social media encouraging those celebrating to keep streets clear for first responders and emergency vehicles. Department officials said in a release that the Chicago Police Department will “enforce traffic regulations, including those in instances of illegal obstruction, stopping, parking, or interference of traffic.”

“Given the celebrations that have taken place in the recent years, I think it's been clear that people are really looking for an outlet for a safe and vibrant, festive atmosphere and we thought, let's push for it this year,” Sanchez said. “Let's showcase the richness of Mexican culture history and we're really hoping to give people a safe and fun place to celebrate downtown.”

El Grito or “El Grito de Independencia,” “The Cry of Independence,” is a traditional ceremony that pays homage to the celebration in Mexico that honors the speech given by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla on September 16, 1810. The speech marked the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence and the fight for freedom from the Spanish.

According to a WBEZ analysis, about 1 in every 5 Chicagoans is Mexican, and the group makes up the majority of those who identify as Hispanic or Latino in Chicago.

The last time a celebration was held downtown was in 2013, when Sociedad Cívica Mexicana de Illinois, or the Mexican Civic Society of Illinois, organized a parade and a “El Grito” ceremony. After experiencing leadership and internal legal battles, the organization stopped participating in downtown celebrations. The group has continued organizing events in other parts of the city.

Historically, some organizers say, it has been hard to sustain momentum for Mexican Independence Day festivals because of permitting issues and costs of public events. Teresa Fraga is the president of the Mexican Cultural Committee of Chicago (Comité Cultural Mexicano de Chicago) and a resident of the Pilsen neighborhood for 58 years.

She has organized a Mexican Independence Day event in Pilsen for 11 years. She said community events tend to disappear because of a lack of resources.

“I have learned that culture, art and history are not funded. It is very hard to get sponsored,” Fraga said.

Fraga said the free Pilsen event, also Saturday, has dwindled in size in recent years because the cost to obtain a city permit to hold an event at Harrison Park is about $30,000. (DCASE officials did not respond to a WBEZ request to clarify permitting fee costs before the deadline.)

Initially, the city waived the permit cost, but after a change that prevented aldermen from waiving such fees, the event moved to a public school, Fraga said. That has impacted sponsorships.

In 2023, Fraga said her organization met with Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration to help host an event downtown. After Lightfoot lost her re-election bid, Fraga continued to push the idea with Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration. She said at the end of the day there can only be one El Grito celebration downtown.

“Young people are clamoring for their place downtown,” Fraga said.

A big Grant Park festival like El Grito could be a boost for local restaurant owners invited to participate.

For chef and restaurateur Verónica Fabre, the downtown event is an opportunity to bring more awareness to her restaurant Tacos El Rey in South Chicago.

“We want more people to get to know the restaurant, and I know Mexican Independence Day is a big celebration for us, so I'm pretty sure that's also gonna bring a lot of business,” Fabre said. “We are very excited, and I hope El Grito Fest gets to continue for more years to come.”

Araceli Gómez-Aldana is a reporter and WBEZ’s Weekend Edition anchor. Follow her at @Araceli1010.